Record form handling device



Feb. 22, 1944. w g o 2,342,571

RECORD FORM HANDLING DEVICE Filed 001:. 28, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l William M. Carroll Inve ntor 1 His Attorney Feb. 22, 1944. R L 2,342,511

RECORD FORM HANDLING DEVICE Filed Oct. 28, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4

William M. Carroll.

- Inventor His Attorney PatentedFeb. 22, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RECORD FORM HANDLING DEVICE William M. Carroll, Dayton, Ohio, asslgnor to The National Cash Register Company, Dayton. Ohio, a corporation of Maryland Application October 28, 1941, Serial s... 416.919

2 Claims.

This invention relates to positive means for permitting the removal of only the top sheet from a stack of record material sheets during an operation of the machine, and electro-magnetic means for removing the top sheet from the stack and placing it in cooperative relationship with adjacent feeding mechanism.

The present invention contemplates means for overcoming difliculties frequently experienced with several sheets being accidentally and simultaneously removed from the top of a stack of such sheets when the sheets should be removed singly therefrom. In order to obviate this condition the present invention provides positive means for releasing only the top sheet for removal from the stack of sheets during each operation of the machine. In addition, electro-magnetic means is provided for removing such released sheet from the top of the stack and placing such sheet in cooperative relationship with adjacent feeding mechanism.

It is, therefore, a primary object of this invention to devise positive means for permitting only the top sheet to be removed from a stack of sheets during an operation of the machine.

Another object is to devise means for removing only the top sheet from a stack of sheets during each operation of the machine.

A further object is to devise means for permitting the removal of only the top sheet from a stack of sheets, and means operating in conjunction with the first mentioned means to remove the top sheet from the stack and place it in cooperative relationship with adjacent feeding mechanism.

Astill further object is to devise a record material sheet provided with variably located notches, and means coacting with the notched and unnotched portions of the sheets to prevent any sheet, except the top sheet, from being removed from a stack of such sheets during an operation of the machine.

An additional object is to provide a record material sheet bearing on one side thereof magnetically attractable material by which an electroma netic means can remove said sheet from the top of a stack .of such sheets.

Another object is to provide a plurality of reccrd material sheets, each having one edge thereof notched in diiferent locations, said sheets being so arranged in a stack that sheets bearing difl'erent notch arrangements will occur in alternating order, and means adapted to cooperate with the notches in the sheets to control the release of only the top sheet in said stack for removal therefrom.

With these and incidental objects in view, the invention includes certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, the essential elements of which are set forth in appended claims and a preferred form or mbodiment of which is hereinafter described wi h reference to the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a vertical section, taken on line l-i of Fig. 2, looking toward the right, showing the means for controlling the release of the top sheet from the stack for removal therefrom, the electro-magnetic means, and the means for operating both of the first two mentioned means.

Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of a portion of the means shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail side view of the electro-magnetic means and mechanical means for rocking the same.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the means for closing the circuit to energize the magnets.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of three record material sheets, showing the different notch arrangements used on said sheets.

Briefly, the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings makes use of record material sheets, one edge of each of which is provided with a group of notches variably located thereon. The sheets are so arranged in a stack that sheets bearing differently located groups of notches will occur in alternating order. Two pairs of retaining members are provided, each pair corresponding to a different one of said variably located groups of notches, for normally holding all of the sheets against removal from the stack. Means is also provided for alalternately actuating the different pairs of retaining members to release the top sheet for removal from the stack and retain the remainder of the sheets in the stack during each operation of the machine. When one pair of retaining members is actuated to release the top sheet for removal from the stack, the other pair of retaining members which is not actuated coacts with the sheet next to the top sheet to prevent removal thereof from the stack.

Provided on one side of the record material sheets is a suitable niagnetizable material such as, for example, magnetic ink or metallic strips to enable electro-magnetic means to properly attract thereto for removal from the stack. Upon being energized the electro-magnetic means will draw the released top sheet thereto, whereupon the magnetic means, together with said sheet, are rocked clockwise, by means to be later described, to position the removed sheet into cooperative relationship with adjacent feeding mechanism. Upon being deenergized, the magnetic means will release the removed sheet, after which said means is rocked counter-clockwise to its home position. Mechanical means is provided for closing a circuit to energize the magnetic means and for opening the same circuit to deen'ergize such means.

Referring now to the drawings, suitable record material sheets I (Figs. 1 and 5) are arranged in a stack on a platform 82 supported by a plunger 83 slidably mounted in a cylindrical shaped housing 84 secured to a base plate 85 of the machine. A coil spring 88 contained in the housing 84 coacts with the plunger 83 to constantly exert upward pressure on the plunger and platform 82, thereby maintaining the top sheet GI in the stack always in contact with the retaining members to be later described. A guide plate 81 having a pair of flanges 68 (only one of which is shown), one being formed on each side of said plate and at right angles thereto, coact with three diiferent edges of the sheets to assist in maintaining them in proper alinement. The plate 61 is secured at its lower end to the base plate 85. Coacting with the remaining edges of the sheets BI is another guide plate 69 provided with flanges and H formed at right angles thereto and loosely mounted on a shaft 12 suitably journaled in side frames 13 and 14 secured to the base plate 85. The plate 69 is adapted to be manually moved a short distance counter-clockwise about the shaft 12 to facilitate the insertion of the stack of sheets BI into the magazine created by the platform 62 and guide plates 81-89.

The plate 89 is maintained in its normal position as viewed in Fig. 1 by a latch 15 secured to a short shaft 18 suitably journaled in the frame 13. The latch is notched to engage lug 11 integral with the plate 69 to hold the plate in the position shown. Also secured to the shaft 16 is a lever 18 having a knob 19 by which the lever may be manually rocked clockwise against the action of spring 80 to disengage the latch 15 from the lug 11 to permit the plate 69 and associated parts to be later described, to be moved counter-clockwise for the purpose of inserting a new supply of record material sheet into the magazine.

Means provided for permitting the removal of only the top sheet from the stack of sheets in the magazine during each operation of the driving and feeding means including two pairs of retaining bars 85 and 88, Fig. 2, having flanges 81 and 88 respectively. Secured to flanges 81 and 88 are fingers 89 and 90, respectively, having secured to their undersides friction pads 9I and 92, respectively, adapted to contact the top two sheets 6| in the stack in the magazine.

The bars 85 and 88 (Figs. 1 and 2) are slidably and pivotally mounted on shaft 12 by means of vertical slots 93 through which said shaft extends. Each of said bars also has a vertical slot 94 engaged by a stud 95 carried by an angle plate 98 secured to plate 69, there being one plate 98 for each of the bars 85 and 86. Springs 91, fast at one end to studs 95 and at their other ends to studs 98 in the bars 85 and 86, constantly tend to move said bars and their fingers 89 and 99 upwardly, thus retaining rollers 99 in contact with the peripheries of cams I00 and I0 The cams I00 have high sections I02 and low sections I03, and the cams I0| have high sec tions I04 and low sections I05. When the high sections coact with the rollers 99, the bars and 88 will be held down against the action of the springs 91. When the cams are rotated, a half rotation for each operation of the machine by means to be hereinafter described, the high sections are alternately removed from cooperative relation of the rollers 99, and the low sections are alternately brought into cooperative relation with said rollers, and consequently bars 85 and 86 are alternately released for upward movement by their springs 91.

As previously mentioned, the sheets 8| are notched alternately, and by referring to Fig. 5 it will be noticed that the top sheet here shown has two notches I08 arranged substantial distances in from the sides of the sheets, and that the second sheet has two notches I01 arranged nearer the edges of the sheets than are the notches I08.

Assuming that the sheets 8| are arranged in the stack with the two sheets of Fig. 5 on top, then the fingers and their friction pads 92 will cooperate with the notches I08 and bear against the unnotched portions of the second sheet GI, and the fingers 89 and their friction pads 9| will cooperate with the unnotched portions of the top sheet 8| which lie immediately above the notches I01 of the second sheet.

With the parts in the positions just described, when the shaft 12 and the cams I00 and IOI are given a half rotation in a clockwise direction, the high sections I02 of the cams I00 will be moved away from the rollers 99 and the springs 91 will draw the rollers 99 into contact with the low sections I03 of the cams I00, thus raising the fingers 89 and their pads 9I to free the top sheet GI. The rollers 99 of the .bars 88, at this time being in contact with the high sections 104 of the cams ml, the fingers 90 and their friction pads 92 will not be raised, and consequently will retain the second sheet in the normal position while the top sheet, having been released by the fingers 89, will, by means to be hereinafter described, be moved to the right as viewed in Fig. 1 to present it to feed rollers, to be hereinafter described, whereupon this top sheet will be completely removed from the stack after it has been presented to the feeding rollers.

Upon the next half turn of the shaft 12 and the cams I00 and IN, the high sections I02 of the cam I00 will be in constant contact with the rollers 99, and therefore the fingers 89 and their pads 9I will be retained in contact with the bottom sheet shown in Fig. 5 (which now, due to the fact that the'top sheet has been removed, becomes the second sheet of the stack), and the low sections I05 of the cams Illl will be presented to the rollers 99, and consequently the springs 91 will raise the fingers 90 and their pads 92 to release what is now the top sheet (the middle sheet shown in Fig. 5), so that it can be removed from the stack without disturbing the third sheet in the stack (the bottom sheet shown in Fig. 5).

From the above description it will be clear that the two pairs of retaining bars 85 and 86 and their associated fingers 89 and 90, respectively, control the alternate release of a single sheet from the top of the stack of sheets shown in Fig. 1 with the cooperation of the alternate arrangement of the notches 506 and I01 in the sheets GI.

As previously mentioned, the shaft 12 and the cams I and mi receive one-half of one comlete clockwise rotation during each operation of the machine. The means for imparting such movement to the shaft 12 will now be described.

The present machine is providedwlth a drive shaft II2 (Figs. 1 and 2), Journaled in the side frames I3 and 14, which is given one complete counter-clockwise rotation during each operation of the machine by any suitable means. Secured on the shaft H2 is a gear I I3 which is connected through gears H4, H and H6 to the shaft I2. The ratio between the gear H3 and the gears II4I I5-I I6 is such that one complete rotation of the gear II3 will impart only one-half rotation to the gears II4--I I5-I I6. Therefore, when the shaft II2 and gear I I3 are given one complete counter-clockwise rotation, the shaft 12 and all parts secured thereto are driven one-half rotation in a clockwise direction.

The electro-magnetic means for removing the top sheet 6I from the stack of sheets includes a pair ofmagnets I2I (Fig. 4) pivoted on a rod I22 (Figs. 1 and 2) carried by arms I23 and I24, pivotally mounted on a rod I25 secured in the side frames 13 and 1.4. The magnets I2I are normally located so as to be in cooperative relationship with the top sheet 6| of the stack of sheets. The means for energizing the magnets I2I to effeet the removal of the top sheet from the stack will now be described.

During the counter-clockwise movement of the drive shaft II2, a cam I26 secured thereon will close a pair of contacts I21 and I28 (Figs. 1 and 4) to energize the magnets I2I over a circuit extending from one side of a suitable source of supply through a line I29, contact I28, contact I21, line I30, magnet I21, and line I31, back to the other side of said supply.

The record material sheets 6| have provided on their upper sides magnetizable material of any suitable character, such, for example, as magnetic ink or metallic strips I20 (Fig. 5), through which the magnets I2I, upon being energized, can attract thereto the top sheet 6| of the stack of sheets. Immediately after this occurs, another cam I4I (Fig. 3), secured on the shaft II2, coacts with a roller I42 on a pitman I43, which is hookshaped at one end to embrace the shaft H2 and is pivoted at its other end to the arm I23, to cam the pitman I43 toward the right. Such movement of the pitman I43 toward the right will rock the arm I23, together with the magnets I2I and the sheet 6I magnetically attached thereto. clockwise about the rod I 25, against the action of a spring I44, to position the sheet 6| between feed rollers I45 and tension rollers I46 (Fig. 1).

Immediately after the magnets I2I have moved the sheet 6I between the feed rollers I45 and tension rollers I46, another cam I41 secured on the shaft I I2 will be moved to permit the tension rollers I46 to be moved into cooperative relationship with the feed rollers I45 to feed the slip 6| to the desired printing position. This is accomplished in the following manner.

The high spot on the periphery of the cam I41 normally coacts with a roller I48 carried by an arm I49, pivoted on a rod I50, to hold the arm in an ineffective position, as shown in Fig. 1. Another arm I5I, also pivoted on the rod I50, serves in conjunction with the arm I49 to support a rod I52 upon which the tension rollers I45 are freely mounted. A spring I53 constantly tends to rock the arm I49 counter-clockwise to position the rollers I46 into cooperative relationship with the feed rollers I45, but is restrained from doing so by the high portion of the periphery of the cam I41. .It will therefore be seen that when the cam I41 moves sufilciently counter-clockwise to remove its high portion from beneath the roller I48, the spring I53 will then move the tension rollers I46 into cooperative relationship with the feed rollers I to feed the paper sheet 6|.

The feed rollers I46 (only one of which is shown) are secured to a shaft I6I (Fig. 1) sultably joumaled in the side frames 13 and 14. Also secured to the shaft I6I is a pinion I62, meshing with a gear I63 secured to the main drive shaft II2. During the counter-clockwise movement of the shaft 2, the gear I53 moves the pinion I62, shaft I6I, and feed rollers I46 clockwise. It is not until the tension rollers I46 are moved into cooperative relationship with the rotating feed rollers I45 that the inserted slip 6| will be fed by said rollers.

Just before the tension rollers I46 are moved into cooperative relationship with the feed rollers I45, the cam I26 will release the pressure on the contact I21 suificiently to allow the latter to spring apart from the contact I26, thereby opening the circuit and deenergizing the magnets I2I, which will release the sheet 6| between the feed rollers I45 and tension rollers I46.

At this time the cam I H (Fig. 3) will permit the spring I44 to rock the arms I23I24, magnets I2I, and pitman I43 counter-clockwise to their home position.

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form or embodiment herein disclosed, for it is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine of the class described adapted to coact with a stack of record material sheets, the combination of a plurality of means mounted for longitudinal and pivotal movement on a common shaft; a finger on each of said means, said fingers arranged to extend over the surface of the upper sheet of said stack; cams on the common shaft arranged to alternately raise and lower said plurality of means to first engage one finger with the second sheet from the top of said stack and then engage another finger with the second sheet from the top of said stack; means to remove the upper sheet from the stack when the fingers engage the second sheet from the top of the stack, said sheets being suitably notched to permit the fingers to engage the second sheet from the top of the stack; and a latch to normally maintain the fingers in proper relationship with the stack of sheets, said latch being operable to release the fingers to their pivotal movement to withdraw the fingers from said normal position to facilitate placing a stack of sheets in the machine.

2. In a machine of the class described adapted to coact with a stack of record material sheets.

the combination of a plurality of means mounted for longitudinal and pivotal movement on a com-- mon shaft; a finger on each of said means, said fingers arranged to extend over the surface of the upper sheet of said stack: cams on the common shaft arranged to alternately raise and lower said plurality of means to first engage one finger with the second sheet from the top of said stack and then engage another finger with the second sheet from the top of said stack; means to with the frame to maintain the fingers in proper relationship with the stack of sheets, said latch operable to release the frame and the fingers to their pivotalmovement to withdraw the fingers to facilitate placing a stack of sheets in the machine.

WILLIAM M. CARROLL. 

